Slovakia's PM to undergo 'another operation' after assassination attempt

16 May 2024 , 09:38

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Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is set to undergo 'another operation' as he fights to stay alive after an attempted assassination yesterday.

Slovakia's Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kaliňák confirmed Mr Fico was expected to survive the attempt on his life and that the politician is is no longer in a life threatening situation. Speaking earlier fellow Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba said: "Fortunately as far as I know the operation went well - and I guess in the end he will survive. he's not in a life threatening situation at this moment."

Mr Fico is being treated at the Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica and has said today, along with hospital representatives that he is awaiting hip surgery. However, because the Prime Minister takes blood thinning medication, it's thought this may make the second operation more difficult.

The shooting occurred in the town of Handlova, 85 miles northeast of the capital, while Mr Fico was greeting supporters at an event on Wednesday. Taraba previously reported that the prime minister was "heavily injured" with a bullet entering his stomach and another one hitting the joint.

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Slovak President Zuzana Caputova (R) and president-elect of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini (AFP via Getty Images)

Government officials reported that five shots were fired outside the cultural centre where he was attending a meeting. Journalists on the scene reported hearing several shots before the prime minister collapsed, according to the Associated Press. Witnesses saw security quickly rush him into a car. The politician was rushed by air ambulance to hospital. A hospital official in Banska Bystrica stated that Mr Fico remains in serious condition, but stable.

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The police charged the shooter with premeditated murder. He faces 25 years to life in prison. He is proud of his act. After the assassination, the security council is meeting and the government will also hold talks. Fica will probably be represented by Robert Kaliňák.

At a press conference in Bratislava, president of the country, Zuzana Čaputová said: "We are a nation and together with our minorities, we are one human society which lives in this area.

"We need to condemn violence. Yesterday the attack on Robert Fico was an attack on a human being, but also an attack on democracy.

"Last but not least, we would like to ask all those who speak about this for no hate. Today with the incoming president we agreed that we are going to ask all parliamentary parties to calm the situation down. If we want to carry out this public function in our state , we need to keep under control our thoughts and our words."

The newly elected Slovak President Peter Pellegrini added that the attempted assassination attempt on Prime Minister Fico was an "attempted assassination on democracy".

Slovakia's PM to undergo 'another operation' after assassination attempt

Security officers move Slovak PM Robert Fico in a car (REUTERS)

He said he was "appalled" as the future president of the country where "hate could lead this country". He added: "I am calling on [political parties] to suspend or tone down their campaigns ahead of the European parliament election.

"Such political campaigns will bring confrontations, which is the last thing that Slovakia needs at the moment."

Slovakian Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj-Eštok has confirmed that the attack on the prime minister was politically motivated. "The initial information that we have clearly points to a political motivation and a decision by the perpetrator shortly after the presidential election. The perpetrator shot five times and the prime minister is in critical condition,” Šutaj-Eštok said. "An attack on the prime minister is an attack on democracy."

Mr Fico, who returned to power last year, leads the populist left-wing Smer-SSD party. He secured victory in October with promises to stop military aid to Ukraine, though he denies being pro-Russian. Mr Fico previously resigned as prime minister in 2018 after the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak.

Mr Fico is the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, with over 10 years in office. He first entered Parliament in 1992, when the country was still part of Czechoslovakia, and later became a member of the Council of Europe.